The Fall Meal

One idyllic Saturday in October we had a glorious day. It was in Connecticut and Braeden was one year old. The salad days. Back then we sauntered rather than hurtled through our days. I thought I was busy but I thought wrong.

This particular Saturday we went to a pumpkin patch and enjoyed New England in all of it’s autumnal rapture. I don’t know if New England autumn was more appreciated by me for its breath-taking beauty or because it was no longer miserable humid summer. Either way, I loved fall. This day was just what fall should be. Cool air, sunshine, crisp leaves underfoot. We got our pumpkin then came home and made pumpkin shaped sugar cookies and decorated them with orange frosting and chocolate chips. Later I made pork chops with apple onion stuffing and maple butternut squash. It was the perfect fall meal to end the perfect fall day and thus The Fall Meal was born.

Every year since I’ve made The Fall Meal. Sometimes we’ve had the Fall Meal under adverse conditions. One year we were living in Washington and fall in the Pacific Northwest sometimes means torrential rainstorms and then the wind knocking trees down because the saturated ground can’t support them. During one such storm I was in the midst of making the Fall Meal and lost power. I had to finish on the front porch with a propane stove. It’s that important.

This autumn I think I’ve been busier than I’ve been in my whole life. I bought all the ingredients for The Meal but haven’t been able to snatch an evening worthy of it. Last night I gave up and made it anyway…even though it had been a typically hectic day. Even though I had a baby shower to go to in the early evening. Even though by the time we sat down I had a massive head-ache and Mark complained about not liking the stuffing (the impudence!). I made the meal anyway. I squeezed it in just like I more or less squeeze in anything that happens these days.

And I liked it.

maple butternut squash

pork chops

apple onion stuffing

the dessert--pumpkin cupcakes which we may or may not have needed considering the recent influx of candy the household has seen

Go here for recipes. It's all pretty easy to make...especially the cupcakes.